People have formed groups since the beginning of time.  Why?  It is natural behavior to look to others for guidance, opinion and direction before making a decision.  In fact, for any particular category, about 20% of the people are the influencers, the “decision makers,” and the other 80% follow along. Influencers may be different in different categories.  For instance, when you are looking for great entertainment, you have a friend that is the night owl/party guy that can tell you the best places in town to have a good time, but you probably won’t be asking that same guy about the best insurance coverage or place to bank.  In fact, who does ask others about insurance or banking?  71% claimed reviews from family members or friends exert a “great deal” of influence on financial buying decisions (Harris Interactive, June 2010).  When it comes to financial and insurance decisions, the influencers are critical in the decision-making path. 

So, as a direct marketer, what does this mean to you?  Do you have any idea who the influencers in your marketing database are?  We’ve been encouraging “refer-a-friends” for years.   Send a friend in, they get a gift and if it’s a good offer, you also get a gift.  Many institutions track the people to make sure they get their incentive, but they don’t maintain the notation on a central repository.  In fact, many have no idea whether someone has referred multiple people or just a single new customer or, anyone at all.   A single view of the customer is not a reality for many organizations (although it could be!). 

It shouldn’t be surprising then, that with websites such as Klout tracking on-line activity and ranking people according to the number of others following them, that we can track our customer activity too.  Imagine having a database where your customers are indexed according to the “clout” they have based on their activity?  What about special bonus points when the people they refer ALSO become active customers?  What if one of the people they refer, refers other active customers?   The more referrals they send, the higher their score.  Perhaps their score could be increased based on their activity level as well as their friends/referral activity level? 

Technology and an innovative platform make this process a SIMPLE reality.  Track the reach of your offer throughout the circles and networks of your customers and follow the activity.   Social Media is expanding the connectivity and reach of customer influence more than we have experienced in our lifetime.  As a marketer, this is our opportunity to harness the behavior, track it and encourage more of it.  Ultimately, you mail one piece of mail with an offer in it, but have the potential to get response from 2, 3,…10 other people.  Successful marketing relies on connections, and tapping into the spheres of influence each customer has is truly the future of business. When every consumer in effect becomes the “decision-maker,” they become empowered to share that message, whether that is about the best insurance company or the best nightclub.

 To see how easy it is to track your advocates, call your trusted SourceLink resource.